ATI Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders And
Psychosis Final Exam 2026 BRAND NEW
Questions and verified answers with
rationales, Exams of Nursing
A nurse is talking with the family of a 28 year old client who has been diagnosed with
schizophrenia. The client's parents ask, "Will my child ever be able to have a good quality of
life?" Which of the following responses should the nurse make?
a. "With treatment and support your child will be able to live a productive and rewarding life."
b. "Your child will require care and treatment for the remainder of their life."
c. "I see this is difficult for you. It really depends on if your child responds to treatment."
d. "Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness. This means that your child's life has been changed"
- --ANS---a. "With treatment and support your child will be able to live a productive and
rewarding life."
Rational: Although schizophrenia is a chronic mental health disorder, clients can live a
productive life with treatment and support. Like other chronic health disorders, they may
experience symptoms and require support or assistance.
,A nurse is caring for a young adult client who experienced a traumatic event and appears to be
hallucinating. The client has no history of or evidence of risk factors for schizophrenia spectrum
disorders and the client's toxicology screen is negative. Which of the following diagnoses
provides the best explanation of this client's clinical manifestations?
a. Brief psychotic disorder
b. Delusional disorder
c. Late-onset schizophrenia
d. Shared psychotic disorder - --ANS---a. Brief psychotic disorder
Rational: A brief psychotic event can be triggered by a very stressful or traumatic event.
A nurse is evaluating a client for schizophrenia and asks the client about their work, social, and
home life. For which of the following reasons should the nurse ask about these topics?
a. To gather information that assists in billing
b. To gather criteria to be included in the client's relapse prevention plan
c. To gather insight into the client's background in order to guide care
d. To gather standard information during the exploitation phase of the client-nurse relationship -
--ANS---c. To gather insight into the client's background in order to guide care
Rational: Information provides insight into the full client history and is used to guide client-
centered and compassionate holistic nursing care and to understand the client's experiences.
, A nurse is caring for a client who is at risk for developing schizophrenia. Which of the following
findings should the nurse identify as an environmental risk factor?
a. Tobacco use
b. Drinking alcohol
c. Exposure to lead
d. Using cannabis - --ANS---d. Using cannabis
Rational: Using cannabis is an environmental risk factor for individuals who are genetically or
otherwise predisposed to developing schizophrenia.
A nurse is caring for a client who is being evaluated for schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Which
of the following is used to determine a diagnosis for schizophrenia?
a. Reality testing
b. Laboratory testing
c. Neurological testing
d. Clinical observation - --ANS---d. Clinical observation
Rational: There is no laboratory test that can provide a definitive diagnosis of schizophrenia, so
observation and ruling out other medical conditions and substance exposure provides diagnosis.
A nurse is caring for a client who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Which of the
following findings indicates that they client is in the residual phase of the disorder?
Psychosis Final Exam 2026 BRAND NEW
Questions and verified answers with
rationales, Exams of Nursing
A nurse is talking with the family of a 28 year old client who has been diagnosed with
schizophrenia. The client's parents ask, "Will my child ever be able to have a good quality of
life?" Which of the following responses should the nurse make?
a. "With treatment and support your child will be able to live a productive and rewarding life."
b. "Your child will require care and treatment for the remainder of their life."
c. "I see this is difficult for you. It really depends on if your child responds to treatment."
d. "Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness. This means that your child's life has been changed"
- --ANS---a. "With treatment and support your child will be able to live a productive and
rewarding life."
Rational: Although schizophrenia is a chronic mental health disorder, clients can live a
productive life with treatment and support. Like other chronic health disorders, they may
experience symptoms and require support or assistance.
,A nurse is caring for a young adult client who experienced a traumatic event and appears to be
hallucinating. The client has no history of or evidence of risk factors for schizophrenia spectrum
disorders and the client's toxicology screen is negative. Which of the following diagnoses
provides the best explanation of this client's clinical manifestations?
a. Brief psychotic disorder
b. Delusional disorder
c. Late-onset schizophrenia
d. Shared psychotic disorder - --ANS---a. Brief psychotic disorder
Rational: A brief psychotic event can be triggered by a very stressful or traumatic event.
A nurse is evaluating a client for schizophrenia and asks the client about their work, social, and
home life. For which of the following reasons should the nurse ask about these topics?
a. To gather information that assists in billing
b. To gather criteria to be included in the client's relapse prevention plan
c. To gather insight into the client's background in order to guide care
d. To gather standard information during the exploitation phase of the client-nurse relationship -
--ANS---c. To gather insight into the client's background in order to guide care
Rational: Information provides insight into the full client history and is used to guide client-
centered and compassionate holistic nursing care and to understand the client's experiences.
, A nurse is caring for a client who is at risk for developing schizophrenia. Which of the following
findings should the nurse identify as an environmental risk factor?
a. Tobacco use
b. Drinking alcohol
c. Exposure to lead
d. Using cannabis - --ANS---d. Using cannabis
Rational: Using cannabis is an environmental risk factor for individuals who are genetically or
otherwise predisposed to developing schizophrenia.
A nurse is caring for a client who is being evaluated for schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Which
of the following is used to determine a diagnosis for schizophrenia?
a. Reality testing
b. Laboratory testing
c. Neurological testing
d. Clinical observation - --ANS---d. Clinical observation
Rational: There is no laboratory test that can provide a definitive diagnosis of schizophrenia, so
observation and ruling out other medical conditions and substance exposure provides diagnosis.
A nurse is caring for a client who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Which of the
following findings indicates that they client is in the residual phase of the disorder?
